Elon Musk criticized President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." (AP)
Musk told "CBS Sunday Morning" the legislation "undermines the work" done by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
He called it a "massive spending bill" that "increases the budget deficit."
However, Republican supporters of the bill have contended that the kind of spending cuts Musk is looking for, and the kind DOGE outlined, cannot be done via the reconciliation process. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., himself pledged in a public statement after Musk's comments that House Republicans would tackle DOGE cuts – albeit in a different vehicle than the "big, beautiful bill."
Reconciliation primarily deals with mandatory government funding that Congress must change by amending the law itself, like federal safety net programs.
The White House is also planning to send a package of proposed spending cuts to Congress next week, including cuts outlined by DOGE, that target discretionary government spending. Discretionary spending refers to the cash flows that Congress controls annually via the budget appropriations process.
Other supporters of the bill, like Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said its focus was on people outside of Musk’s wealth class.
"The bill strikes the proper balance between rooting out fraud to achieve savings and not impacting citizens who rely on government programs. The biggest winners for a change are not billionaires like Musk but middle-class families who will see the bulk of savings returned to them in the form of real tax relief," Malliotakis told Fox News Digital.
"That’s who President Trump and House Republicans set out to help."
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris said he shared Elon Musk's concerns. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"Hopefully the Senate will take those concerns into consideration as the legislative process moves forward," Harris said.
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Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, the lone House Republican to vote against the bill, posted on X, "Hopefully, the Senate will succeed where the House missed the moment. Don't hope someone else will cut spending someday, know it has been done this Congress."
"Despite pleas to step back and look at the sum of the parts passed by 11 different committees, this bill was rushed to the floor when it should have been fixed," Davidson said.
Musk announced late on Wednesday that he was stepping away from his federal government role because his "scheduled time as a Special Government Employee" was coming "to an end."
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elon-musk-criticism-trump-tax-bill-frustrates-some-republicans-no-place-congress